When LaSalle Street Church in Chicago unexpectedly received approximately 1.5 million dollars from the sale of a low-income housing initiative that members of their church had helped to found, the church’s board entered a time of prayer and discernment, asking God to show them how to use the money wisely.
The board decided to begin by giving each member of the congregation a check for $500 with the simple instruction to “do good in the world.”
This exercise of “tithing to the people” was a metaphor for God’s work in our daily lives. The authors write, “While we would give the gift of ‘free money’ and ask individuals to do something good with it, we would also be pointing to the reality that every one of us has something far more valuable than free money. And that daily we are being asked to do something good with it.”
Love Let Go is more than an account of how the members of LaSalle Street Church were stewards of grace through God’s gift to them. The book shares insights into the practice of generosity and shows how, when we live generous lives, we not only benefit others but also ourselves.
Questions for reflection and discussion at the end of the book make it an excellent resource for personal devotions or small group study. (Eerdmans)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.